Africa Cup of Nations Qualification

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The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers are matches organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Its purpose is to determine the participating teams ahead of every edition of the Africa Cup of Nations - the international men's football championship of the continent.

The AFCON, which was founded in 1957, has grown greatly over the years and the number of participants eligible to make appearances at the competition has also been altered accordingly. From 1996 to 2017, 16 out of 54 countries were allowed to progress to the finals from the qualifiers. Ahead of the 2019 edition in Egypt, the number of qualification slots was increased to 24.

The AFCON Qualifiers begin with the 54 teams in the confederation being seeded into pots based on their FIFA World Ranking ahead of the draw. Note that the number is subject to change should a country be banned or withdraw its participation from the qualifiers.

Teams from Pot 1 to Pot 4 enter the tournament at the group stage while teams from Pot 5 compete at a preliminary round before the winners fill their place in a pre-determined slot for the group stage (positions A4, B4, C4, and D4 respectively based on their tie number).

The remaining teams are then drawn into 12 groups of four teams (from Group A to Group L), consisting of the teams which enter directly and the winners yet to emerge from the preliminary round. The host nation features in the qualifiers to help in determining the qualification of the other teams but is guaranteed a spot in the finals regardless of its ranking in the group.

During the AFCON qualifiers, each team plays six matches (three at home and three away). Three points are awarded for a win. A single point is awarded for a draw. The two top-ranked teams from all the groups qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals.